This disclosure relates to controlling the access of computer information accessible by a computer system.
Computer systems are information handling electronic systems which can be designed to give independent computing power to one user or a plurality of users. Computer systems may be found in many forms including, for example, mainframes, minicomputers, workstations, servers, personal computers, internet terminals, notebooks, and embedded systems. Computer systems include desk top, floor standing, rack mounted, or portable versions. A typical computer system includes at least one system processor, associated memory and control logic, and peripheral devices that provide input and output for the system. Such peripheral devices may include display monitors, keyboards, mouse-type input devices, floppy and hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, printers, network capability card circuits, terminal devices, modems, televisions, sound devices, voice recognition devices, electronic pen devices, and mass storage devices such as tape drives, CD-R drives, or DVDs.
Both individuals and organizations utilize computer systems to provide access to computer information. The computer information accessible by a computer system may be stored in the computer system such as in a hard disk drive or accessible by the computer system via a computer network or a peripheral device. Consequently, it is desirable to restrict access to that information. Past techniques of controlling access include utilizing passwords for logging on to a computer system or network. Another technique for determining authorized access includes utilizing smart card readers (e.g., magnetic or optical) to read smart cards or other physical objects that include encoded identification information. An example of such a system can be found in Bilich et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,483, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Automatically Implementing Computer Power On and Logon Functions Using Encoded ID Card,” having a common Assignee, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Another example can be found in Bouthillier et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,552, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Other examples techniques for controlling access are found in a patent application entitled “Portable Computer System With Hierarchical and Token-Based Security Policies, Ser. No. 09/237,016, and having a common Assignee, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Other techniques for determining whether a user has authorized access include the utilization of biometric identification such as by the analysis of fingerprints, eye, or voice patterns. An example of such a system can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,306, entitled “Mouse With Security Feature,” having an issue date of Nov. 17, 1998, listed inventors Clint O'Conner and Erica Scholder, and a common Assignee, all of which is hereby incorporated by reference in it's entirety.
A common feature of the techniques utilizing smart cards or other types of identifying objects that contain identification information is that they require a user desiring access to the computer information to perform a conscious access action to provide the identification information to the card reader to gain access. For example, with a smart card, the user must purposefully and consciously insert the object into the reader or directly bring the object within the scanning field of the reader. Such a conscious access action provides a delay in gaining access to the computer system. Also such a system may require the user to physically move the object from its normal storage position on the user's body (e.g., from a shirt pocket, belt clip, or from around a user's neck, as with a necklace) to the location of the reader. Not only is such a motion inconvenient, but it also increases the risk that the object may not be returned to its normal storage position. For example, after inserting a smart card into a reader, a user may leave the smart card on their desk by the computer system.